25 Teams in 25 Days: Ocean Springs Greyhounds

When mom says be home by midnight, that’s the rule, but at stop number six on News 25’s 25 Teams in 25 Days, there’s an exception to that rule. It’s called Midnight Madness at Ocean Spring High School where tradition meets hope early on a Saturday morning following back-to-back disappointing seasons for the Greyhounds.

“As soon as we start practice one of the main questions I get from parents and administrators and teachers and players every year is, when is midnight madness?” The first practice in full pads is the golden standard for missing curfew in Ocean Springs for both players and parents alike. Cornerback Dailon Lyons said, “No, my momma knew what the consequences were and she knew that I had to be here so she took a good nap just to be here with me tonight.”

Kicker Kaylee Foster said, “I always look forward to it. I wake up, I get ready, I was like today is midnight practice, take a nap, get ready, wake back up, get ready.”

Midnight Madness started with the Ryan Ross regime eight years ago and it’s been a fixture within Greyhound athletics ever since. Head Coach Ryan Ross said, “A lot of folks probably thought we were crazy at first, but as you can see it’s kind of turned into a grand event and they look forward to it. And back in the old days, Jeff, we would do this all week and then we would show up at 7 o’clock Saturday morning. So in today’s world, it’s just better to get it done at 12:01.”

Once the clock strikes midnight, ‘hit the sack’ takes on a whole new meaning, starting with board drills, followed by a scrimmage in front of the student section better known as the ‘hound pound.’ “It’s pretty cool, it’s the first time we get pads on so it’s a little exciting and a little nerve-racking cause everyone is watching you. It’s the first time in pads but I think we’re going to be all right, it’s going to be fun.”

“It’s a little nerve-racking like I said cause they’ve never seen us before like this year so it’s like a little exciting to show them what we can do.”

What they can do and what they have done have been two different things the past two seasons. The Greyhounds are looking for their first playoff berth since 2015, a search that becomes more collective without the services of Colorado State freshman Malcolm Magee. “Malcolm was a true talent and we all knew that, but we’ve got some guys that have been working really hard and trying to get it done and I love our football team. I love our kids, they’ve worked hard, we’ve had a great off-season and I wish them the best. I hope the best for them, so hopefully we’ll be successful.”

Ocean Springs kicks off the 2018 campaign at home against Gautier on August 17^th. Moss Point was the only other school from the six coastal counties to hold a midnight madness of its own.